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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — for digging
  3. object — an aim
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. track — a song
  11. clip — for paper
  12. object — to protest
  13. face — part of the head
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. track — a path
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — a match
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. object — a thing
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — wild animals
  24. face — to confront

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com